RPD responds to incident at fairgrounds, report of shots fired

UPDATE 1:28: The lockdown has been lifted at Gateway Elementary and Burroughs High School. According to the RPD, the suspect is in custody with no incidents. More information to follow.

UPDATE 1:26: According to NAWS China Lake, the incident has been resolved and the back gate to the base has reopened.

UPDATE 12:55: An alert has gone out to all RPD personnel that per Kern County Sheriff's Office, no officer is to attempt contact with the suspect or accept contact with the suspect.

UPDATE 12:50: A DI advertising employee, who was at the fairgrounds on normal advertising business at the time the incident began, has returned to the office after being evacuated from the scene.

UPDATE 12:37: Shots continue to be fired.

UPDATE 12:26: Burroughs High School is also on lockdown. Burroughs and Gateway are the only two schools in the area to be locked down.

UPDATE 12:15: Shots are being fired from inside the trailer, according to scanner traffic. People with radios at the scene are able to see dirt flying from bullet hits, and there are also numerous bullet holes in the wall of the trailer.

UPDATE 12:10: According to scanner traffic, the suspect has called his daughter and said he was going to shoot the SWAT guys, so he does see them out there. All RPD officers are out of the main zone, and SWAT is in.

UPDATE 12:06: There is one female left in the trailer park, who officers are going to attempt to get out. Everyone else has been evacuated.

UPDATE 12:03 P.M.: According to scanner traffic, the suspect is known to have an AK-47. A perimeter is being set up, including snipers.

UPDATE 11:53 A.M.: According to RPD Chief Strand, the suspect is barricaded in a trailer at the fairgrounds and has fired off shots indiscriminately, not at any particular target. The police are waiting for Kern County SWAT before proceed further, and they are hoping to resolve this peacefully. The lockdown at Gateway Elementary will end once the situation is resolved.

UPDATE 11:42 A.M.: The incident command post has been moved to the Bureau of Land Management office on Richmond Road. The helicopter has landed to the west of the fairgrounds. Officers are waiting for the Kern County SWAT to show up before proceeding further.

UPDATE: Officers had re-established contact with the suspect via cell phone, but the line is once again disconnected. Students remain on lockdown at Gateway, but only as a safety precaution, as the incident is at the fairgrounds and not at the campus. A helicopter is expected to land in the large, empty field between the school and fairgrounds within the next few minutes. Citizens are advised to stay clear of the area of Richmond Road.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Ridgecrest Police Department and assisting agencies are responding to an emergency situation at the Desert Empire Fairgrounds, with reports of shots fired. Officers are currently in a standoff with the suspect in a trailer at the DEF trailer park.

Page 2 of 2 - Gateway Elementary School is currently on lockdown, although a message to parents of students at the school has said that all students are safe on campus.